Extruder system and cutting assembly

ABSTRACT

An extruder system for extruding material through a die/extrude insert in an opening in an extruder plate.

This patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/651,063 filed Jan. 8, 2007, which in turn is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/062,220filed Feb. 18, 2005, now abandoned, which claims priority on U.S.provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/548,693, filed Feb. 27, 2004,now abandoned, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

This patent application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/651,063 filed Jan. 8, 2007, which in turn is acontinuation-in-part of PCT Application Serial No. PCT/US2006/00575filed Feb. 17, 2006, now abandoned, which in turn claims priority onU.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/062,220 filed Feb. 18, 2005, nowabandoned; U.S. Pat. D550,259; U.S. patent application Ser. No.29/242,779 filed Nov. 15, 2005, now abandoned; and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 29/242,881 filed Nov. 15, 2005, now abandoned, allof which are incorporated herein by reference.

This patent application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/651,063 filed Jan. 8, 2007, which in turn is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. D544,005, which is incorporated hereinby reference.

This patent application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/651,063 filed Jan. 8, 2007, which in turn is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. D544,506, which is incorporated hereinby reference.

This patent application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/651,063 filed Jan. 8, 2007, which in turn is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. D580,959, which is incorporated hereinby reference.

This patent application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/651,063 filed Jan. 8, 2007, which in turn is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. D544,006, which is incorporated hereinby reference.

This patent application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/651,063 filed Jan. 8, 2007, which in turn is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. D544,891, which is incorporated hereinby reference.

The present invention relates to extrusion hardware, and moreparticularly to extruder plates, extruder plate inserts, wiper blades,auger blades and cutting devices for use in an extruder system.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The following patents and patent applications are incorporated herein byreference to provide background information relating to extrudertechnology, namely Pat. Nos. D442,612; D444,487; D446,794; D450,732;D452,257; D469,116; D469.117; D469,452; D469,453; D469,454; D470,869;D470,870: D472,252; D496,377; D485,286; D494,198; D497,376; D523,452;D531,197; D534,562; D544,005; D544,006; D544,506; D544,891; D550,259;D580,959; and U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 60/548,693 filed Feb.27, 2004, now abandoned; 11/062,220 filed Feb. 18, 2005, now abandoned;29/242,779 filed Nov. 15, 2005, now abandoned; 29/242,881 filed Nov. 15,2005, now abandoned; and PCT Application Serial No. PCT/US2006/005751filed Feb. 17, 2006, now abandoned; and European Patent ApplicationSerial Nos. 000528864 filed May 15, 2006; 000556030 filed Jul. 4, 2006,now EP 556030-0001 to EP 556030-0004; 000556006 filed Jul. 4, 2006, nowEP 556006-0001 to EP 556006-000112; and 000556022 filed Jul. 4, 2006,now EP 556022-0001 to EP 556022-0004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many types of products are extruded from dies and cut to certain lengthsafter being extruded through the die. Such products include, but are notlimited to, catalyst, human and animal foods, fertilizer, medication,various types of plastic and/or other polymer products, fiber reinforcedproducts, metal, glass, etc. For some types of products (e.g.,medication, fertilizer, catalyst, etc.) the cut extruded product shouldbe as uniform as possible. The rate at which a certain product isextruded through a particular die can at least partially depend on avariety of factors such as the wearing of the die components, thewearing of the auger, the density of the product, whether the auger isstarved of feed material, plugging of one or more dies inserts, etc. Asa result of one or more of these variable factors and/or other factors,the rate at which a particular product extrudes through one or more canperiodically vary. This varying of the rate of product extrusioncommonly results in the cut extruded product being of a non-uniformlength, thereby resulting in a significant percent of the product to bedisposed of.

Products formed for the medical and catalyst industry is highlysensitive to product uniformity. The uniform size of a catalyst is usedto control certain types of chemical reactions. In some types ofchemical reactions, a large tolerance as to size variations wasacceptable for the catalyst in these chemical reactions. Due to theselarge acceptable tolerances as to catalyst size, the catalyst could beextruded and cut using conventional technology and about 65-85% of thecut catalyst would be acceptable for use. However, when the tolerancesfor the size of the catalyst are small when the catalyst is used inother types of chemical reactions, the amount of wasted cut catalystsignificantly increases, thereby increasing product costs. In themedical industry, the tolerance for the size of the medical is very lowso as to ensure that essentially the same dosage of medicine is presentin each pill. As such, most drug manufacturers use a pill manufacturingprocess. Pill machines are also used to form some types of catalyst thatrequire a low tolerance to the size of the catalyst. Although the pillmanufacturing process produces a large percentage of medication andcatalyst having a desired size, the pill manufacturing process is veryexpensive as compared with most extrusion processed, and also hasextremely slow through-puts, thereby resulting in low output over timeand significantly increased manufacturing costs. Such high costs arecost prohibitive for many types of products.

In view of the current state of art, there is a need for extrusionhardware and a cutting device that can be used to cut an extrudedproduct in a more uniform manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to extrusion hardware, and moreparticularly to extruder plates, extruder/die inserts, wiper blades,auger blades and cutting devices for use in an extruder system. In onenon-limiting embodiment of the invention, there is provided speciallydesigned extruder/die inserts and extruder plates that can to used toextrude a wide variety of different materials. The extruder/die insertsand die plates of the present invention are designed to improvethroughput by an extruder, improve the durability of the die plateand/or extruder/die insert, improved the ease of use of the extruder/dieinsert in combination with the extruder plate, and/or improve thequality of the material extruded by the extruder system. In anotherand/or alternative non-limiting embodiment of the invention, there isprovided a wiper blade that is designed to improve throughput by anextruder, reduce the wear rate of one or more components of the extrudersystem, and/or improve the quality of the material extruded by theextruder system. In still another and/or alternative non-limitingembodiment of the invention, there is provided an auger blade that isdesigned to improve throughput by an extruder, reduce the wear rate ofone or more components of the extruder system, and/or improve thequality of the material extruded by the extruder system. In yet anotherand/or alternative non-limiting embodiment of the invention, there isprovided a cutting assembly to cut materials that have been extrudedthrough one or more extruder/die inserts that are positioned in anextruder plate. The extrusion hardware of the present invention isparticularly directed the extrusion and cutting of extruded catalyst;however, the extrusion hardware can be used to cut many other types ofextruded material.

In one non-limiting aspect of the present invention, there is provided acutting assembly that is designed to cut materials one or more types ofmaterials that have been extruded through one or more extruder platesthat may or may not include one or more extruder/die inserts. Theimproved cutting assembly is designed to improve the product quality ofcut extruded material by cutting the extruded material within lowtolerances to a certain specified length. In many types of businessessuch as, but not limited to, the pharmaceutical business, the catalystbusiness, etc., the size of the extruded material must be maintained tocomply with stringent criteria. For instance, in the pharmaceuticalbusiness, the size of a cut pill affects the dosage of the medication. Apill that has been cut too large or a too small may result in theincorrect dosage being given to the patient. Likewise, in the catalystindustry, the size of the catalyst can affect the rate of reaction thattakes place when using the catalyst. An extruded catalyst that is cuttoo large or too small could adversely affect a chemical reaction thatinvolves the use of the catalyst. The proper cutting of other materials(e.g., foods, fertilizers, etc.) can affect the product quality and/oreffectiveness of the cut product. The improved cutting assembly of thepresent invention is designed to cut an extruded product from anextruder plate to form a cut product that more closely matches thedesired length of the product, thereby eliminating the need for formingthe product by more expensive processes that have lower through-puts(e.g., pill making machines, etc.). Consequently, products that havehistorically been formed by pill manufacturing processes (e.g.,medication, certain types of catalysts, etc.) can be extruded throughone or more extruder plates and cut to a desired length by use of theimproved cutting assembly of the present invention. In addition, theimproved cutting assembly of the present invention can be used to cutproducts that are currently extruded through extruder plates and therebysignificantly reduce the amount of waste of such extruded product thathistorically has to be disposed of since the extruded product did notmeet the size tolerance parameters of the extruded product. As such, onenon-limiting aspect of the present invention is thus directed to anextrusion cutting assembly which can increase the quantity of cutproduct as compared to prior art cutting assemblies.

In another and/or alternative non-limiting aspect of the presentinvention, the improved cutting assembly incorporates severaltechnologies that are used to produce a higher quality product. Each oneof these technologies individually can results in increased productquality. In addition, the combination of one or more of thesetechnologies can be used to further increase the percentage of producedproduct having a desired cut length. Prior cutting systems for extrudedproducts commonly produced about 15-35% of the cut product being within200% of the desired length. The cutting assembly of the presentinvention can result in about 60-99.9% of the cut extruded product beingwithin about 200% of the desired length, typically about 70-99.9% of thecut extruded product being within about 100% of the desired length, moretypically about 80-99.9% of the cut extruded product being within about100% of the desired length, and still more typically about 90-99.9% ofthe cut extruded product being within about 100% of the desired length.The cutting assembly of the present invention thus produces a higherquality product with significantly less waste. The cutting assembly ofthe present invention also has higher through-puts without sacrificingproduct quality.

In still another and/or alternative non-limiting aspect of the presentinvention, the cutting assembly includes the use of an improved wiperblade to improved the throughput and/or quality of the extruded materialthrough one or more extruder plates. The wiper blade of the presentinvention is designed to be positioned closely adjacent to the openingsin the die support plate. In one non-limiting embodiment of the presentinvention, the wiper blade is used to direct material to be extrudedinto the openings of the extruder plate and/or extruder/die inserts. Thewiper blade is also and/or alternatively used to reduce or eliminate theamount of space around the one or more openings that can harbor materialof the extruder plate and/or extruder/die inserts, thereby reducing oreliminating the amount of material that can stagnate or accumulatearound such one or more openings. Material that stagnates or accumulatesaround one or more openings of the extruder plate and/or extruder/dieinserts can become hardened or less formable. This hardened or lessformable material can eventually work its way into one or more of theopenings of the extruder plate and/or extruder/die inserts. Due to thehardened or less formable nature of the material, the material canbecome stuck in the one or more openings, thereby resulting in pluggingor clogging the one or more openings. The clogging or plugging of theone or more openings can reduce the number and/or percentage of theextruder plate and/or extruder/die inserts that are being used to formthe extruded product, thereby reducing the amount of product beingproduced. The clogging or plugging of one or more of the extruder platesand/or extruder/die inserts can also affect the pressure at which thematerial is extruded through the remaining unclogged openings. Forinstance, an extruder plate which includes four openings can suddenlyencounter a pressure increase of at least about 15-35% in the threeunclogged openings when one of the openings becomes at least partiallyclogged or plugged. The increased pressure exerted on the extrudedmaterial can result in the material being forced through the unpluggedor unclogged openings at an increased rate, thereby resulting in thelengths of the cut catalysts being increased when the cutting blade isrunning at a constant speed. The increased length of the cut product canresult in an unacceptable product due to the unacceptably long productlength, thus reducing the yield of acceptable products. The increasedpressure on the material can also adversely affect the extruded material(e.g., adversely breaking down chemical bonds or structures,unacceptably increasing the heat applied to the material therebyresulting in adverse chemical reactions or structural formations, etc.).Such adverse effects on the extruded material can result in the materialbeing unacceptable for its end use, even if the out length is within anacceptable range. In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, thewiper blade of the present invention is designed to reduce or eliminatethe space about the one or more openings that can harbor material to beextruded, thereby reducing or eliminating the incidence of one or moreof the openings becoming partially or fully plugged or clogged during anextruding process. In one non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, thewiper blade results in at least about a 20% reduction in the space aboutthe one more openings that can harbor material to be extruded. Inanother non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the wiper blade resultsin at least about a 50% reduction in the space about the one or moreopenings that can harbor material to be extruded. In still anothernon-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the wiper blade results in atleast about a 75% reduction in the space about the one or more openingsthat can harbor material to be extruded. In another and/or alternativenon-limiting embodiment of the invention, at least a portion of at leastone blade of the wiper blade is positioned from the plane of the innersurface of the one or more openings of the extruder plate and/orextruder/die insert a distance of less than about 2 inches. In onenon-limiting aspect of this embodiment, at least a portion of at leastone blade of the wiper blade is positioned from the plane of the innersurface of the one or more openings of the extruder plate and/orextruder/die insert a distance of less than about 1.5 inches. In anotherand/or alternative non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, at least aportion of at least one blade of the wiper blade is positioned from theplane of the inner surface of the one or more openings of the extruderplate and/or extruder/die insert a distance of less than about 1 inch.In still another and/or alternative non-limiting aspect of thisembodiment, at least a portion of at least one blade of the wiper bladeis positioned from the plane of the inner surface of the one or moreopenings of the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert a distance ofabout 0.01-1 inch. In yet another and/or alternative non-limiting aspectof this embodiment, at least a portion of at least one blade of thewiper blade is positioned from the plane of the inner surface of the oneor more openings of the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert adistance of about 0.02-0.75 inch. In still yet another and/oralternative non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, at least a portionof at least one blade of the wiper blade is positioned from the plane ofthe inner surface of the one or more openings of the extruder plateand/or extruder/die insert a distance of about 0.02-0.5 inch. In anotherand/or alternative non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, at least aportion of at least one blade of the wiper blade is positioned from theplane of the inner surface of the one or more openings of the extruderplate and/or extruder/die insert a distance of about 0.02-0.25 inch. Instill another and/or alternative non-limiting aspect of this embodiment,at least a portion of at least one blade of the wiper blade ispositioned from the plane of the inner surface of the one or moreopenings of the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert a distance ofabout 0.02-0.1 inch. In still another and/or alternative non-limitingembodiment of the invention, the wiper blade of the present inventionreduces the pressure variations of the material being directed into theopenings of the die holder. Typically, an auger blade is used to directthe material to be extruded toward the one or more openings of theextruder plate and/or extruder/die insert. Most of these auger bladeshave a single flight configuration; however, dual flight configurationscan be used. As the auger blade rotates, the material to be extruded ismoved toward the one or more openings in the extruder plate and/orextruder/die insert. The opening in the extruder plate and/orextruder/die insert that is positioned closest to the face of the bladeof the auger blade at a certain time is exposed to a higher pressure bythe material than another opening in the extruder plate and/orextruder/die insert which is positioned at a farther distance from theblade face of the auger blade. As a result, when the auger blade isrotated during operation of the extruder, the pressure being applied tothe extruded material at a particular opening in the extruder plateand/or extruder/die insert is increased as the face of the auger bladeapproaches a particular opening and then decreases after the face of theblade passes the opening and moves to another opening as the auger bladerotates. The increasing and decreasing pressure being exerted on thematerial through the openings in the extruder plate and/or extruder/dieinsert results in the material being accelerated and decelerated throughthe openings as the auger blade rotates. The increased speed at whichthe material passes through an opening result in an increased length ofthe material being cut when the cutter blade is rotated at a constantspeed. The reduced speed at which material passes through an openingresults in a reduced length of material being cut when the cutter bladeis rotated at a constant speed. As a result, the cut material canconstantly vary in length due in part to the rotation of the auger bladefeeding the material to be extruded through the extruder plate and/orextruder/die insert. The use of a wiper blade having multiple bladespositioned between the end of the auger blade and the one or moreopenings in the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert results in areduction of the pressure amplitude differential between a high and lowpressure situation, thereby resulting in a more constant pressure beingapplied to the material directed into the one or more openings. As aresult, the length of the cut material is more uniform due to therelatively constant pressure being applied on the material at all theopenings in the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert, therebyresulting in a higher percentage of acceptable product being produced.In one non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the wiper blade includesa plurality of blades that used to reduce or eliminate the pressureamplitude differential between a high and low pressure situation duringthe extrusion of material through one or more openings in the extruderplate and/or extruder/die insert. In another non-limiting design, thenumber of blades on a wiper blade is at least one-forth the number ofopenings in the extruder plate through which material is extruded. Instill another non-limiting design, the number of blades on a wiper bladeis at least one-half the number of openings in the extruder platethrough which material is extruded. In yet another non-limiting design,the number of blades on the wiper blade is at least three-quarters thenumber of openings in the extruder plate through which material isextruded. In still yet another non-limiting design, the number of bladeson the wiper blade is equal to or greater than the number of openings inthe extruder plate through which material is extruded. In a furthernon-limiting design, the number of blades on the wiper blade is at least1.5 times the number of openings in the extruder plate through whichmaterial is extruded. In still a further non-limiting design, the numberof blades on the wiper blade is at least 2 times the number of openingsin the extruder plate through which material is extruded.

In still another and/or alternative non-limiting aspect of the presentinvention, the wiper blade is connected to the end of the auger blade.The wipe blade can be designed to be releasably connected or permanentlyconnected to the end of the auger blade. As can be appreciated, thewiper blade can be integrally formed on the end of the auger blade. Thewiper blade can be designed to at least partially break and/or disengagefrom the auger blade when the wipe blade encounters a certain amount ofresistance. For example, if one or more openings in the extruder plateand/or extruder/die insert become plugged, the pressure on the innersurface of the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert cansubstantially increase. This increase in pressure can result insignificant resistance to the wiper blade as the wiper blade rotates.When very high resistance is encountered, the wiper blade can bedesigned to break and/or at least partially disengage from the augerblade so that the wiper blade does not continue to rotate or rotate withthe blades intact. This breaking and/or disengagement of the wiper bladecan be beneficially in reducing and/or preventing damage to the augerblade and/or extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert. The partial orfull disablement of the wiper blade when substantially pressureincreases above the norm are encounted can result in less force beingapplied to the auger blade and/or extruder plate and/or extruder/dieinsert. In one non-limiting design, the wiper blade is at leastpartially formed of a material (e.g., plastic material, soft metal,etc.) that is less strong than the material used to form the auger blade(e.g., hardened steel, strong metal alloy, etc.). In another and/oralternative non-limiting design, the wiper blade is connected to theauger blade by an arrangement designed to which will fail afterencountering a certain amount of torque. In such an arrangement, theauger blade may continue to rotate, but the wipe blade applies little,if any, force on the material which directs the material to the extruderplate and/or extruder/die insert.

In yet another and/or alternative non-limiting aspect of the presentinvention, at least one blade on the wiper blade is sized so that theblade is at least as large as at least one opening in the inner surfaceof the extruder plate so as to facilitate in directing material into theopening. The size of the one or more blades on the wiper blade can beused to reduce the amount of dead area about the opening in the extruderplate when a particular blade of the wiper blade passes by and over theopening, thereby reducing the amount of stagnant material which canbecome entrapped or stagnant about the opening or within the wiper area.It has been found that by properly designing the wiper blade, the amountof cut product that is within size tolerance range for a particularproduct can be improved by up to 25% or more. This significantimprovement in the amount of acceptable product reduces the amount ofproduct that must be disposed of due to the fact that the cut length istoo long or short. In one non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, thesize of at least one of the blades of the wiper blade is up to about 5%larger than the diameter of at least one of the openings in the innersurface of the extruder plate. In another non-limiting aspect of thisembodiment, the size of at least one of the blades of the wiper blade isup to about 10% larger than the diameter of at least one of the openingsin the inner surface of the extruder plate. In still anothernon-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the size of at least one of theblades of the wiper blade is up to about 20% larger than the diameter ofat least one of the openings in the inner surface of the extruder plate.In still another non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the size of atleast one of the blades of the wiper blade is up to about 30% largerthan the diameter of at least one of the openings in the inner surfaceof the extruder plate.

In still yet another and/or alternative non-limiting embodiment of theinvention, the plurality of blades of the wiper blade is substantiallyequally spaced apart so as to create a more uniform pressure at the oneor more openings in the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert,thereby resulting in a more uniform length of product that is cut by thecutting assembly during the extrusion process.

In still yet another and/or alternative non-limiting aspect of thepresent invention, the blades on the wiper blade are substantially thesame shape and size so as to create a more uniform pressure at the oneor more openings in the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert,thereby resulting in a more uniform length of product that is cut by thecutting assembly during the extrusion process.

In a further and/or alternative non-limiting aspect of the presentinvention, the one or more blades on the wiper blade have an angle onthe front surface of the one or more blades that is used to facilitatein pushing the material into the one or more openings in the one or moreopenings in the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert. The angle isselected to facilitate movement of the material into the one or moreopenings in the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert withoutcutting or substantially cutting the material prior to being moved intothe one or more openings in the extruder plate and/or extruder/dieinsert. En essence, the one or more angled blades are designed to smearthe material to be extruded into the one or more openings in theextruder plate and/or extruder/die insert as the blade of the wiperblade passes over the one or more openings. The selection of the bladeangle can also or alternatively be used control the pressure at whichthe material is being forced through the one or more openings in theextruder plate and/or extruder/die insert. As such, the one or moreangled blades of the wiper blade can be used to reduce the occurrence ofstagnated material about the one or more openings in the extruder plateand/or extruder/die insert and can facilitate in flow rates of thematerial through the one or more openings in the extruder plate and/orextruder/die insert. In one non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, theangle on at least a portion of the front face of one or more blades isabout 1-89°. In another non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, theangle on at least a portion of the front face of one or more blades isabout 10-70°. In still another non-limiting aspect of this embodiment,the angle on at least a portion of the front face of one or more bladesis about 15-60°. In yet another non-limiting aspect of this embodiment,the angle on at least a portion of the front face of one or more bladesis about 20-45°. In still yet another non-limiting aspect of thisembodiment, the angle on at least a portion of the front face of one ormore blades is about 25-35°. In another non-limiting aspect of thisembodiment, the average angle on at least a majority of the front faceof one or more blades is about 10-70°. In still another non-limitingaspect of this embodiment, the average angle on at least a majority ofthe front face of one or more blades is about 15-60°. In yet anothernon-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the average angle on at least amajority of the front face of one or more blades is about 20-45°. Instill yet another non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the averageangle on at least a majority of the front face of one or more blades isabout 25-35°.

In yet a further and/or alternative non-limiting aspect of the presentinvention, the one or more blades on the wiper blade have an angle onthe back face of the one or more blades (i.e., side facing away from theinner surface extruder plate and/or extntder/die insert) that is used tofacilitate in movement of the one or more blades of the wiper throughthe material as the wiper blade rotates. The surface area of the angledportion on the back face of the one or more blades is generally lessthan the surface area of the angled portion on the front face of the oneor more blades. In one non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the angleon at least a portion of the back face of one or more blades is about1-89°. In another non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the angle onat least a portion of the back face of one or more blades is about10-70°. In still another non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, theangle on at least a portion of the back face of one or more blades isabout 15-60°. In yet another non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, theangle on at least a portion of the back face of one or more blades isabout 20-45° In still yet another non-limiting aspect of thisembodiment, the angle on at least a portion of the back face of one ormore blades is about 25-35°. In another non-limiting aspect of thisembodiment, the ratio of surface area of the angled portion of the frontface to the back face is about 1-20:1. In still another non-limitingaspect of this embodiment, the ratio of surface area angled portion ofthe front face to the back face is about 1-15:1. In yet anothernon-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the ratio of surface area of theangled portion of the front face to the back face is about 1-10:1. Instill yet another non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the ratio ofsurface area of the angled portion of the front face to the back face isabout 1-5:1.

In still a further and/or alternative non-limiting aspect of the presentinvention, an auger blade can be used to at least partially move thematerial to be extruded toward the inner surface extruder plate and/orextruder/die insert. The front end of the auger blade can include awiper blade; however, this is not required. In one non-limitedembodiment of the invention, the auger blade is a single uninterruptedflight auger blade. As can be appreciated, other types of auger bladescan be used (e.g., double flight auger blade, etc.). A singleuninterrupted flight auger blade has been found to result a more uniformpressure profile of material being fed to the inner surface extruderplate and/or extruder/die insert as compared to interrupted flightaugers. As such, a much more constant flow of material is directed tothe inner surface extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert when using asingle uninterrupted flight auger blade. The more uniform pressureprofile at the inner surface extruder plate and/or extruder/die insertcan result in a more uniform length of product that is cut by thecutting assembly during the extrusion process. In another and/oralternative non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the singleuninterrupted flight auger blade has a generally uniform cross-sectionalshape and size along a majority of the longitudinal length of the augerblade. In one non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the auger blade,the average pitch of the single uninterrupted flight auger blade isabout 1-8 inches, typically about 2-6 inches, and more typically about3-4 inches. In another and/or alternative non-limiting aspect of thisembodiment, the ratio of the average maximum diameter of the blade ofthe single uninterrupted flight auger blade to the average pitch of theblade is about 1.1-2.5, and typically about 1.25-2, and more typicallyabout 1.3-1.7. In still another and/or alternative non-limiting aspectof this embodiment, the ratio of the average maximum diameter of theblade of the single uninterrupted flight auger blade to the average rootthickness of the auger blade is about 1.5-5, and typically about 2-3.5,and more typically about 2.2-2.9. En another and/or alternativenon-limiting embodiment of the invention, the single uninterruptedflight auger blade is designed such that it can be easily scalable sothat a single uninterrupted flight auger blade can be easily design andused for different sized extruders. As can be appreciated, the ratiosset forth above can be used to facilitate in the scalability of theauger blade.

In still a further and/or alternative non-limiting aspect of the presentinvention, the cutting assembly of the present invention includes animproved control arrangement which can vary the cutting blade speed tobetter account for the pressure differentials applied to the materialbeing extruded through the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert.When the pressure on the extruded material increases, the materialtypically travels at a faster rate through the extruder plate and/orextruder/die insert. Conversely, when the pressure on the extrudedmaterial reduces, the extruded material typically passes at a slowerrate through the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert. By detectingthe pressure of the material prior to entering one or more openings inthe extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert, and/or as the materialenters and/or passes through one or more openings in the extruder plateand/or extruder/die insert, it can be determined whether the material isaccelerating, decelerating, or maintaining a constant velocity throughthe extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert. If it is determined thatthe speed of the material (e.g., via pressure reading, via visualdetection, via flow meters, etc.) passing through one or more openingsin the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert has decreased and/or isgoing to decrease, the speed of the blade can be accordingly adjusted inspeed (i.e., decreased) to account for the change in speed at which thematerial is exiting the outer surface or face of the extruder plateand/or extruder/die insert. If it is determined that the speed of thematerial passing through one or more openings in the extruder plateand/or extruder/die insert has increased and/or is going to increase,the speed of the blade can be accordingly adjusted in speed (i.e.,increased) to account for the change in speed at which the material isexiting the outer surface or face of the extruder plate and/orextruder/die insert. Further more, if it is determined that the speed ofthe material passing through one or more openings in the extruder plateand/or extruder/die insert has remained constant and/or is going toremain constant, the speed of the blade can be maintained at the samespeed. As a result, the control of the blade speed used to cut thematerial that has been extruded through one or more openings in theextruder plate and/or extruder/die insert can be controlled so as tomaintain a desired cut length of the cut extruded material. The rate ofincrease or decrease of the blade speed can be linear or nonlinear. Thechange in blade speed can be delayed to account for the time that thematerial enters into the one or more openings of the extruder plateand/or extruder/die insert and passes through the one or more openingsin the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert prior to being cut bythe blade; however, this is not required. In one non-limiting embodimentof the invention, an electronic control system is used to control therate at which the cutting blade cuts the material being extruded fromone or more extruder plates and/or extruder/die inserts. In onenon-limiting aspect of this embodiment, a pulse width modulator controlsystem is used to control the rate at which the cutting blade cuts thematerial being extruded from one or more extruder plates and/orextruder/die inserts. Control of a motor speed by a pulse wave controlsystem is well known in the art, thus will not be further described. Onenon-limiting PWC system is disclosed in U.S. visional patent applicationSer. No. 60/548,693, filed Feb. 27, 2004, now abandoned, which isincorporated herein by reference. As can be appreciated, other oradditional control systems can be used to control the speed of the motorfnr the cutting system. In one non-limiting design, one or more motorsare used to control the rotation speed of the cutter blades. In such aconfiguration, the PWC system can be used to control the amount ofcurrent to one or more electric motors to thereby control the speed ofthe one or more motors. Standard electric motors can be used (e.g.,motors that include a stator coil (DC motors), motors operated by fieldinduction coil (AC motors), etc.). In another and/or alternativenon-limiting embodiment of the invention, the control of the blade speedwith respect to the detected or determined speed at which the materialis passing though one or more openings of the extruder plate and/orextruder/die insert can be used to adjust the cutting blade speed toaccount for abnormalities in the feed rate of the material beingextruded. For instance, when one or more of the openings for theextruded material are plugged or clogged, thereby typically resulting ina significant increase in pressure on the extruded material through theremaining unclogged openings, the velocity of the cutting blade can beincreased to account for the increased speed at which the material isextruded through the remaining unclogged openings. Likewise, when theauger blade is staved of material and/or there is an inconsistent amountof material being fed by the auger blade to the one or more of theopenings, a significant increase/decease in pressure on the extrudedmaterial through the openings can be detected, and the velocity of thecutting blade can be adjusted accordingly to account for the change inspeed at which the material is extruded through the one or more openingsof the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert.

In still another and/or alternative non-limiting embodiment of theinvention, the control of the blade speed with respect to the detectedpressure prior to one or more of the openings of the extruder plateand/or extruder/die insert and/or in one or more of the openings of theextruder plate and/or extruder/die insert can be used to adjust thecutting blade speed to account for abnormalities in the feed rate of thematerial being extruded. For instance, when one or more of the openingsfor the extruded material are plugged or clogged, such plugging orclogging of the opening can result in an increase in pressure on theextruded material prior to the material moving through the remainingunclogged openings. A clogged die opening will result in significantpressure drops in such opening. This pressure drop reduction in theplugged or clogged opening and/or the pressure increase in one or moreof the unclogged or unplugged openings can be used to adjust the speedof the cutting blade to at least in partly account for an increase inpressure of the material through the unplugged or unclogged openings.This adjustment can be in one or more forms such as, but not limited to,slowing the rate of rotation of the auger blade, increasing the rotationspeed of the cutter blade, or combinations thereof. As can also beappreciated, the detected pressure prior to one or more of the openingsof the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert and/or in one or moreof the openings of the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert can beused also or alternatively be used to set off alarms (i.e., used toindicate one or more operations of the extruder not operating within oneor more parameters, etc.) and/or shut down one or more components of theextruder system so as to reduce or prevent damage to one or morecomponents of the extruder system. In one non-limiting embodiment of theinvention, the one or more pressure sensors generate a signal that canbe used to activate an alarm to indicate that the detected pressure isbelow and/or above a desired value. This alarm can be used to detectand/or notify an operator of clogged die openings, worn components(e.g., worn/damaged auger blade, worn/damaged wiper blade, worn/damagedextruder plate, worn/damaged die/extruder insert, worn/damaged die pins,damaged/malfunctioning pressure sensors, etc.), insufficient feeding ofmaterial to be extruded, etc. In another and/or alternative embodimentof the invention, the improved cutting assembly can include a storagesystem that stores data regarding, but not limited to a) the detectedpressures over a period of time, b) the speed of rotation of the cutterblade over time, c) the change out frequency of extruder components(e.g., wiper blade, auger blade, extruder plate, extruder/die insert,die pins, etc.), d) speed of rotation of the auger blade, e) thetype/size of components used in the extruder, f) the type of feedmaterial, g) the rate of material fed to the auger blade, and/or h) thechange out frequency of the cutter assembly components (e.g., cutterblades, etc.). As can be appreciated, other or additional material canbe recorded by the cutter assembly. This data can be used to facilitatein determining whether one or more components of the extruder and/orcutting assembly were operating properly during an extrusion process.The data can also or alternatively be used to control the operation ofthe cutter assembly. The data can be tagged to a time and/or dateperiod; however, this is not required. This data can be designed to beaccessed at real time and/or in other manners. The collected data can beused to activate one or more alarms to indicate an existing or potentialproblem with one or more components of the extruder and/or cuttingassembly; however, this is not required. The collected data can be usedto activate one or more alarms to indicate that a component change outis due tbr one or more components of the extruder and/or cuttingassembly; however, this is not required. The collected can be use toprofile the operation of one or more components of the extruder and/orcutting assembly; however, this is not required.

In yet another and/or alternative non-limiting embodiment of theinvention, the control of the blade speed with respect to the detectedpressure spaced from the openings in the die holder plate can be used toadjust the cutting blade speed to account tor abnormalities in the teedrate of the material being extruded. For instance, when one or more ofthe openings for the extruded material are plugged or clogged, suchclogging of the die plate opening can result in an increase in pressureon the extruded material prior to the material moving through theremaining unclogged openings. As such, the velocity of the cutting bladecan be increased to account for the increased speed at which thematerial is extruded through the remaining unclogged openings. Inanother situation, when the extruder is starved of feeder material, thepressure on the extruded material can decrease on the extruded materialprior to the material moving through the openings. As such, the velocityof the cutting blade can be decreased to account for the decreased speedat which the material is extruded through the openings. The speed atwhich a feed material is moved toward one or more openings can varydepending on the type of material and/or the type of auger blade orother type of feeding device. Even when wiper blades are used todecrease the range of pressure fluctuations as the material is being fedthrough one or more openings, the changes in pressure being applied tothe material being extruded still typically result in some increase anda decrease in velocity through the openings. In addition, the rate atwhich material is fed into a feeder (e.g., fed to the auger blade) canvary, thereby resulting in variable amounts of material being fed to theone or more openings in the extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert.Reduced amounts of material in the feeder can result in reduced pressureon the material that is ultimately fed through the one or more openings.Increased amounts of material in the feeder can result in increasedpressure on the material that is ultimately fed through the one or moreopenings. The detection of these pressure fluctuations can be used toincrease and/or decrease the cutting blade speed to obtain cut extrudedproduct having a more consistent cut length. As such, by detecting theseincreases and decreases in pressure, the speed of the cutting blade canbe adjusted to obtain more cut product having a length within anacceptable range. By detecting the pressure being exerted on thematerial that is being directed into the one or more openings, thecutting blade speed can be adjusted to account for any change invelocity of the material passing through the openings. The detectedpressure can be in single or multiple locations that are spaced from theopenings (e.g., along the auger blade, near the wiper blade, etc.)positioned at or closely adjacent to the front face or surface of theopenings (e.g., at the beginning of the openings, in the region betweenthe wiper blade and the openings, etc.), and/or in the one or more ofthe openings. Consequently, the one or more pressure signals can be usedto adjust the speed of the cutting blade to at least in part account foran increase and/or decrease in pressure of the material that is to movethrough the one or more openings. As such, the velocity of the cuttingblade can be increased/decreased to account for the increased/decreasedspeed at which the material is anticipated to be extruded through thedie openings. In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the oneor more pressure sensors generate a signal that can be used to activatean alarm to indicate that the detected pressure is below and/or above adesired value. This alarm can be used to detect and/or notify anoperator of clogged or plugged opening, worn/damaged components,insufficient feeding of material to be extruded, etc. In another and/oralternative embodiment of the invention, the one or more pressuresensors that are spaced from one or more openings can be used inconjunction with one or more pressure signals that are portioned in atleast a portion of one or more openings to at least partially controlthe speed of the cutting blade and/or to activate one or more alarmswhen the detected pressure is undesired. In one non-limiting embodimentof the invention, the one or more pressure sensors generate a signalthat can be used to activate an alarm to indicate that the detectedpressure is below and/or above a desired value. This alarm can be usedto detect and/or notify an operator of clogged or plugged openings,worn/damaged components, insufficient feeding of material to beextruded, etc. In still another and/or alternative embodiment of theinvention, the improved cutting assembly can include a storage systemthat stores data regarding, but not limited to a) the detected pressuresover a period of time, b) the speed of rotation of the cutter blade overtime, c) the change out frequency of extruder components (e.g., wiperblade, auger blade, extruder plate, extruder/die insert, die pins,etc.), d) speed of rotation of the auger blade, e) the type/size ofcomponents used in the extruder, f) the type of feed material, g) therate of material fed to the auger blade, and/or h) the change outfrequency of the cutter assembly components (e.g., cutter blades, etc.).As can be appreciated, other or additional material can be recorded.This data can be used to facilitate in determining whether one or morecomponents of the extruder and/or cutting assembly were operatingproperly during an extrusion process. The data can also or alternativelybe used to control the operation of the cutter assembly. The data can betagged to a time and/or date period; however, this is not required. Thisdata can be designed to be accessed at real time and/or in othermanners. The collected data can be used to activate one or more alarmsto indicate an existing or potential problem with one or more componentsof the extruder and/or cutting assembly; however, this is not required.The collected data can be used to activate one or more alarms toindicate that a component change out is due for one or more componentsof the extruder and/or cutting assembly; however, this is not required.The collected can be use to profile the operation of one or morecomponents of the extruder and/or cutting assembly; however, this is notrequired.

In still yet another and/or alternative non-limiting embodiment of theinvention, the improved cutting assembly includes one or more sensorsother than a pressure sensor that can be used to affect the cuttingspeed of the cutting blade and/or activate one or more alarms. Suchother sensors can include, but are not limited to, temperature sensors,flow sensors, composition sensors, auger rotation speed indicators,blade cutter speed, die opening plug detectors, product qualitydetectors, die plate pressure detectors, product length detectors, etc.These one or more sensors can be located in one or more openings in theextruder plate and/or extruder/die insert, and/or spaced from one ormore openings in the extruder plate and/or extruder/die insert. The datafrom one or more of these sensors can be recorded; however, this is notrequired. The data can be tagged to a time and/or date period; however,this is not required. The data from one or more of the sensors can alsoor alternatively be used to control the operation of one or morecomponents of the cutting assembly (e.g., cutting blade rotation speed,etc.) and/or one or more components of the extruder (e.g., augerrotation speed, material feed rate into auger, etc.). The collected datacan be also or alternatively be used to activate one or more alarms toindicate that a component change out is due for one or more componentsof the extruder, and/or the cutting assembly and/or one or morecomponents of the extruder are not working properly; however, this isnot required. The collected can be use to profile the operation of oneor more components of the extruder and/or cutting assembly; however,this is not required. In another and/or alternative embodiment of theinvention, additional data can be used by the cutting assembly tomonitor and/or control one or more components of the extruder and/orcutting assembly. Such data can include, but is not limited to, extruderplate size, extruder plate opening configuration, extruder plate openingsize, material of the extruder plate, thickness of the extruder plate,die/extruder insert size, die/extruder insert shape, die/extruder insertthickness, die/extruder insert material, type of insert pins, shape ofinsert pins, material of pins, type of auger blade, material of augerblade, shape of auger blade, size of auger blade, type of teed material,type of cutting blades, number of cutting blades, cutting bladematerial, number of blades on wiper blade, type of wiper blade, spacingof wiper blade from extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert, wiperblade material, recommended change-out/maintenance for one or morecomponents of the extruder and/or cutting system, recommendedoperational parameters of one or more components of the extruder and/orcutting system, quality of extruded product, time of usage of one ormore components of the extruder and/or cutting system, etc. As can beappreciated, other or additional data can be collected, stored,proceeded, monitored and/or other used by the cutting assembly. As canalso be appreciated, the data that is collected, stored, processed, etc.by the cutting assembly can be used to optimize the operation of theextruder system to produce a higher quality of extruded material. As canbe appreciated, any data that can be collected, stored, proceeded,monitored and/or other used by the cutting assembly can be madeavailable to an operator onsite so that the operator can monitor and/orcontrol one or more operations of the extruder and/or cutter assembly.As can further be appreciated, any data that can be collected, stored,proceeded, monitored and/or other used by the cutting assembly can alsobe transmitted to a remote location (e.g., control and/or monitoringstation, etc.) so that an operator can monitor and/or control one ormore operations of the extruder and/or cutter assembly at a remotelocation.

In a further and/or alternative non-limiting embodiment of theinvention, the improved cutting assembly includes a cutting bladearrangement to improve the quality and cut length consistency of the outextruded product. In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, thecutting blade arrangement includes a plurality of cutting blades thatare spaced at substantially equal distances from one another and/orspaced at substantially equal angular distances from one another. Forinstance, when the cutting blade arrangement is a generally circulardisc-shaped, a two blade system would be about 180° from one another, athree blade system would be about 120° from one another, a four bladesystem would be about 90° from one another, a five blade system would beabout 72° from one another, a six blade system would be about 60° fromone another, an eight blade system would be about 45° from one another,a nine blade system would be about 40° from one another, a ten bladesystem would be about 36° from one another, a twelve blade system wouldbe about 30° from one another, a fifteen blade system would be about 24°from one another, a sixteen blade system would be about 22.5° from oneanother, an eighteen blade system would be about 20° from one another, atwenty blade system would be about 18° from one another, a twenty-fourblade system would be about 15° from one another, etc. As can beappreciated, the cutting blade arrangement can have a shape other than agenerally circular disc-shaped. In another and/or alternative embodimentof the invention, one or more of the cutting blades has a novel cuttingprofile to facilitate in the cutting of the extruded material. In onenon-limiting aspect of this embodiment, one or more cutting bladesinclude an angular primary cutting surface. The primary cutting surfaceis used as the principal cutting surface of the blade. The slope angleof the primary cutting surface is used to effectively cut the extrudedproduct. In one non-limiting design, the slope angle of the primarycutting surface is generally about 20-85°. In another non-limitingdesign, the slope angle of the primary cutting surface is generallyabout 25-60°. In still another non-limiting design, the slope angle ofthe primary cutting surface is generally about 20-35°. In yet anothernon-limiting design, the slope angle of the primary cutting surface isgenerally about 25-35°. In another and/or alternative non-limitingaspect of this embodiment, one or more cutting blades include a rakesurface that has a rake angle. The rake surface is positioned on thesame side of the one or more cutting blades as the primary cuttingsurface and is position next to the primary cutting surface. Typically,the primary cutting surface transitions into the rake surface; however,this is not required. The rake angle typically is less than the slopeangle of the primary cutting surface. The rake angle is used in part tocreate a trajectory of the material after it has been cut by the primarysurface. This trajectory of the material is used to more the materialoff of the cutting blade and/or to through the cut material to a desiredlocation. In one non-limiting design, the slope angle of the rakesurface is generally about 1-84°. In another non-limiting design, theslope angle of the rake surface is generally about 5-75°. In stillanother non-limiting design, the slope angle of the rake surface isgenerally about 10-60°. In yet another non-limiting design, the slopeangle of the rake surface is generally about 10-45°. In still yetanother non-limiting design, the slope angle of the rake surface isgenerally about 15-30°. In further non-limiting design, the slope angleof the rake surface is generally about 15-25°. In still another and/oralternative non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, one or more cuttingblades include a clearance surface that has a clearance angle. Theclearance surface is positioned on the opposite side of the one or morecutting blades as the primary cutting surface, and the rake surface whenused. The clearance surface is also position at about the same level onthe blade as the primary cutting surface and/or rake surface, when therake surface is used. The clearance surface is designed to facilitate inenable the cutting blade to clear the continuously extruded product.Once the primary cutting surface has cut a portion of the extrudedproduct, more extruded product moves out from the die plate openings.This front end of the extruded material can cause interference with thecutting blade, and thereby cause improper rotation speeds of the cuttingblade arrangement. The clearance angle on the blade is selected so as toenable the back side of the cutting blade to easily move past the frontend of the extruded product and thereby facilitate in the properoperation of the cutting blade arrangement and proper and consistentrotation speeds of the cutting blade arrangement. In one non-limitingdesign, the slope angle of the clearance surface is generally about1-65°. In another non-limiting design, the slope angle of the clearancesurface is generally about 3-50°. In still another non-limiting design,the slope angle of the clearance surface is generally about 3-40°. Inyet another non-limiting design, the slope angle of the clearancesurface is generally about 5-30°. In still yet another non-limitingdesign, the slope angle of the clearance surface is generally about5-20°. In a further non-limiting design, the slope angle of theclearance surface is generally about 8-15°.

In still a further and/or alternative non-limiting embodiment of theinvention, the improved cutting assembly includes one or more ultrasoniccutters to at least partially cut material that has been extrudedthrough an extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert. When one or moreof the cutting blades are used as an ultrasonic cutter, the ultrasonicfrequency is at least about 20 Khz, typically about 22-100 Khz, and moretypically about 25-75 kHz; however, it can be appreciated that otherfrequencies can be used.

In still a further and/or alternative non-limiting embodiment of theinvention, the improved cutting assembly includes one or more lasers toat least partially cut material that has been extruded through anextruder plate and/or die/extruder insert.

In yet a further and/or alternative non-limiting embodiment of theinvention, the improved cutting assembly can include one or moreoperational modes. In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, onemode of the cutting assembly can be a manual mode wherein the speed ofthe cutting blade is set and maintained at a substantially constantspeed throughout an extrusion process. In another and/or alternativenon-limiting embodiment of the invention, one more of the improvedcutting assembly can include an automatic mode wherein the speed of thecutting blade is adjusted based upon one or more set and/or detectedparameters (e.g., current weather conditions, time of day, time of year,geographic location, type of extruder, extruder configuration, type offeeder for extruder, extruder plate temperature, auger bladetemperature, material to be extruded temperature, material to beextruded flow rate, material to be extruded composition, material to beextruded density, time period required for material to move through oneor more openings in extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert, timeperiod required for material to move along auger blade at a certainauger blade rotation speed, auger blade rotation speed, blade cutterarrangement speed, extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert openingplug detection, product quality detection, extruder plate pressuredetection, pressure in one or more openings of extruder plate and/ordie/extruder insert, temperature in one or more openings of extruderplate and/or die/extruder insert, time of use for die/extruder inserts,time of use for extruder plate, time of use for die pins, time of usefor auger blade, time of use for liner, type of liner, material ofliner, shape of liner, extruder plate size, extruder plate openingconfiguration, extruder plate opening size, material of the extruderplate, thickness of the extruder plate, die/extruder insert size,die/extruder insert shape, die/extruder insert thickness, die/extruderinsert material, die/extruder insert hole profile, type of insert pins,shape of insert pins, material of insert pins, type of auger blade,material of auger blade, size/shape of auger blade, type of feedmaterial, type of cutting blades, number of cutting blades, cuttingblade material, number of blades on wiper blade, type of wiper blade,spacing of wiper blade from extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert,wiper blade material, calculated and/or detected wear rates and/orinformation of one or more components of the extruder and/or cuttingassembly, etc.) so as to obtain the desired cut material length and/orproduct quality of the extruded and cut material. As mentioned above,one or more of these parameters can be recorded by the cutter assemblyand/or one or more other components of the extruder, manually and/orautomatically imputed into the cutter assembly and/or one or more othercomponents of the extruder, and/or transmitted to and/or received from aremote location. In one non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, thepressure of the material prior to and/or as the material is insertedthrough one or more extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert openingsis detected in one or more openings and/or regions about the one or moreopenings of the extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert so as to atleast partially control the rotation speed of the cutting bladearrangement on the cutting assembly. In another and/or alternativenon-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the temperature of the materialprior to and/or as the material is inserted through one or more openingsin the extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert is detected in one ormore of the openings and/or regions about the one or more openings ofthe extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert so as to at leastpartially control the rotation speed of the cutting blade arrangement onthe cutting assembly. In still another and/or alternative onenon-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the velocity of the materialprior to and/or as the material is inserted through one or more dieopenings in the extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert is detected inone or more of the openings and/or regions about the one or moreopenings of the extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert so as to atleast partially control the rotation speed of the cutting bladearrangement on the cutting assembly. In yet another and/or alternativeone non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, the average cut productlength of the extruded and cut material is actually detected and/orcalculated so as to at least partially control the rotation speed of thecutting blade arrangement on the cutting assembly. In still yet anotherand/or alternative one non-limiting aspect of this embodiment, theimproved cutting assembly can include one or more adjustable parametersto adjust the length of the extruded material being cut so as to obtaina desired length of the cut material, calibrate one or more detectedparameters (e.g., pressure, etc.) so that the speed control for thecutting blade is properly adjusted based upon one or more detectedparameters, and/or adjust the delay so as to delay the adjustment of thespeed of the cutting blade to account for the time period in which thematerial travels into and through an extruder plate and/or die/extruderinsert, etc.

In still a further and/or alternative non-limiting embodiment of theinvention, the improved cutting assembly can include one or moredetectors (e.g., camera [video camera, standard camera, etc.], lightsensor, radio frequency sensor, sound wave sensor, electromagnetic wavesensor for non-visible electromagnetic waves [X-rays, interred light,ultraviolet light, gamma waves, etc], etc.) to monitor the length of theextruded material prior to, during, and/or after the cutting process.This monitored information can be used to provide data on the quality ofthe material being cut, the percentage of the material being cut that iswithin an acceptable length, and/or to control the speed of the cuttingblade to better obtain a desired cut length of the material. As can beappreciated, the detection of the length of the cut material can bemonitored at the location of the cutting blade and/or at some periodafter the material has been cut (e.g., when the cut material is beingconveyed to a drying location, etc.). In one non-limiting embodiment ofthe invention, a video monitor or other device can be used to monitorthe material being cut and/or conveyed and a software program or othertype of statistical device can be used to determine the length of thecut product, and then send such information to one or more controllers(e.g., PWC, etc.) to be used to adjust the speed of the blade based uponthe determined length for the cut product and/or provide quality controldata regarding the cut product. In another and/or alternativenon-limiting embodiment of the invention, a closed loop system could beused to further simplify the control system (e.g., reduce the number ofcontrol switches an operator uses) and/or facilitate in obtaining thedesired product quality.

In yet a further and/or alternative non-limiting embodiment of theinvention, the improved cutting assembly can include various featuresused to deactivate the cutting blade, especially when one or more diesare being replaced. It is not uncommon that the extruder plate,die/extruder insert, insert pin, auger blade, wiper blade, liner, etc.has to be periodically serviced and/or replaced after a run by theextruder. A run may be as short as a few minutes or as long as severaldays or months. When one or more components are removed and/or serviced,it is important not to inadvertently activate the cutting blades duringsuch operation, wherein such operation could result in the damage to theblades. The improved cutting assembly of the present invention caninclude one or more detectors, switches, etc. which fully or partiallydeactivates one or more components of the cutting assembly during repairand/or maintenance of the cutting assembly and/or one or more componentsof the extruder so as to reduce or prevent damage to one or morecomponents of the cutting assembly.

In still yet a further and/or alternative non-limiting embodiment of theinvention, the improved cutting assembly can be ergonomically designedso as to facilitate in the operation of the cutting assembly and/or tofacilitate in the repair and maintenance of the cutting assembly. In onenon-limiting embodiment of the invention, the cutting assembly allowsthe operator to easily access various connectors, bolts, switches, etc.which are required for periodic operation and/or maintenance of thecutting assembly. As a result of this ergonomic design, the need forspecial tools is reduced or eliminated and/or the operation and/ormaintenance of the cutting assembly is simplified, thereby reducing thetime and/or cost of maintenance and repair.

In another and/or alternative non-limiting embodiment of the invention,the extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert can be designed to reduceor prevent improper orientation of such components on the extruder. Theimproper orientation of a die/extruder insert in an extruder plate canresult in premature plugging or clogging of the openings in thedie/extruder insert, damage to the die/extruder insert, damage to theextruder plate, damage to the cutter assembly, inferior extrudedproduct, etc. The extruder plate and/or die/extruder inserts of thepresent invention can be designed such that the die/extruder inserts canonly be inserted one way into the one or more openings in the extruderplate. As such, the improper placement of a die/extruder insert on anextruder plate is essentially eliminated. In one non-limiting embodimentof the invention, the extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert includesan orientation structure that is designed to at least partially controlthe orientation of the die/extruder insert relative to an opening in theextruder plate for proper insertion of the die/extruder insert into theopening in the extruder plate. Such orientation structure can include,but no limited to, a rib, a groove, a tab, a flange, a taper region, aslot, etc. The one or more orientation structures on the extruder plateand/or die/extruder insert in essence function like a key so that thedie/extruder insert is properly inserted into the opening in theextruder plate. In one non-limiting embodiment of the invention, thedie/extruder insert includes a position tab on or closely adjacent to atop face of the die/extruder insert. In this non-limiting embodiment,the position tab is designed to inhibit or prevent the top face of thedie/extruder insert to be inserted as the leading end into the openingin the extruder plate. As such, the one or more position tabs on thedie/extruder insert ensure that the bottom face of the die/extruderinsert is first inserted into the opening in the extruder plate. Thefront face of the extruder plate may also include one or more positiontab landings designed to receive the one or more position tabs on thedie/extruder insert; however, this is not required. As can beappreciated, the use of a position tab is just of many differentorientation structures that can be included on the die/extruder insertand/or extruder plate to assure the proper insertion of the die/extruderinsert into an opening in the extruder plate.

In another and/or alternative non-limiting embodiment of the invention,the extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert can be designed to reduceor prevent improper loosening of such components on the extruder. Aftera die/extruder insert is inserted in an extruder plate, the die/extruderinsert can fall out of the extruder plate when installing the extruderplate onto the extruder. In order to avoid such a problem, thedie/extruder inserts can be designed to include one or more frictiontabs that are designed to inhibit or prevent the die/extruder insertfrom falling out of the extruder plate one the die/extruder insert isinserted into the extruder plate. The friction tabs can be positioned onone or more of the sides of the die/extruder inserts. One or morefriction tabs can be present on one or more of the sides of thedie/extruder inserts. One or more of the friction tabs can extend thepartial or full with of the die/extruder inserts. One or more of thefriction tabs can includes a tapered profile; however, this is notrequired. The top of the one or more friction tabs can be flat, rounded,grooved, etc. When two of more friction tabs are positioned on a side ofthe die/extruder insert, the tabs can be spaced evenly apart from oneanother and the two ends; however, this is not required. The one or morefriction tabs generally have a length that extends along the width ofthe die/extruder insert that is equal to or less than the width of thedie/extruder insert. Generally the ratio of the length of the frictiontab to the width of the die/extruder insert is about 0.05-1:1, typicallyabout 0.1-1:1, more typically about 0.25-1:1, even more typically about0.4-1:1, and still even more typically about 0.5-1:1. When thedie/extruder insert includes both a friction tab and a positioning tab,the length of one or more of the friction tabs is generally greater thanthe width of the positioning tab; however, this is not required.

One non-limiting object of the present invention is the provision of amethod and process for forming more uniform cut lengths of an extrudedproduct.

Another and/or alternative non-limiting object of the present inventionis the provision of a method and process for a cutting assembly that canbe used to improve the forming more uniform cut lengths of an extrudedproduct.

Still another and/or alternative non-limiting object of the presentinvention is the provision of a method and process for a cuttingassembly that can vary the speed of the cutting blade based on or moredetected parameters and/or set variables to improve the forming moreuniform cut lengths of an extruded product.

Yet another and/or alternative non-limiting object of the presentinvention is the provision of a method and process for an extrudersystem that includes a wiper blade assembly to inhibit or preventplugging or clogging of one or more die openings.

Still yet another and/or alternative non-limiting object of the presentinvention is the provision of a method and process for an extrudersystem that includes angular wiper blades to inhibit or prevent pluggingor clogging of one or more die openings.

A further and/or alternative non-limiting object of the presentinvention is the provision of a method and process for a cuttingassembly that includes a unique shaped and angular cutting blades toimprove the forming more uniform cut lengths of an extruded product.

Still a further and/or alternative non-limiting object of the presentinvention is the provision of a method and process for an extrudersystem that includes an improved auger blade to improve the forming moreuniform cut lengths of an extruded product.

Yet a further and/or alternative non-limiting object of the presentinvention is the provision of a method and process for an extrudersystem that includes an orientation structure on an extruder plateand/or a die/extruder insert so as to facilitate in the properorientation of the die/extruder insert in the extruder plate.

Still yet a further and/or alternative non-limiting object of thepresent invention is the provision of a method and process for adie/extruder insert to include one or more friction tabs that inhibit orprevent the die/extruder insert from inadvertently falling out of a dieplate.

These and other advantages will become apparent to those skilled in theart upon the reading and following of this description taken togetherwith the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Reference may now be made to the drawings, which illustrate variousembodiments that the invention may take in physical form and in certainparts and arrangements of parts wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view, partially in cross section, of acutting assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a wiper of the cutting assembly of FIG.1;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view, partially in cross section, of thewiper of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an end view of the wiper of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is an end view of an alternative embodiment of a wiper for usewith the cutting assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation view, partially in cross section, of thewiper of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is an end view, opposite the end shown in FIG. 9, of the wiperof FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a side elevation view, partially in cross section, of acutter head for use with the cutting assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a cutter knife that connects to thecutter head of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a front elevation view of the cutter knife of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a side elevation view, partially in cross section, of thecutter knife of FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a rear elevation view of the cutter knife of FIG. 14;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 18-18 in FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is an elevation view of a non-limiting single continuous singleflight auger blade that can be used in the present invention;

FIG. 20 is an end view of the auger blade of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 21-21 of FIG. 19;

FIG. 22 is an elevation view of another non-limiting single continuousflight auger blade that can be used in the present;

FIG. 23 is an end view of the auger blade of FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 41-24 of FIG. 22;

FIG. 25 is an elevation view of a non-limiting two blade wiper bladesthat can be used in the present invention;

FIG. 26 is a top plan view of a wiper blade shown in FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 is a side view of a wipe blade shown in FIG. 25;

FIG. 28 is an end view of a wiper blade shown in FIG. 25;

FIG. 29 is a bottom plan view of a wiper blade shown in FIG. 25;

FIG. 30 is an elevation view of another non-limiting two blade wiperblade that can be used in the present invention;

FIG. 31 is a top plan view of the wiper blade shown in FIG. 30;

FIG. 32 is a side view of the wipe blade shown in FIG. 30;

FIG. 33 is an end view of the wiper blade shown in FIG. 30;

FIG. 34 is a bottom plan view of the wiper blade shown in FIG. 30;

FIG. 35A-E is a die/extruder insert that can be used in the presentinvention;

FIG. 36A-F is a die/extruder insert that can be used in the presentinvention;

FIG. 37A-G is a die/extruder insert that can be used in the presentinvention;

FIG. 38A-L is a die/extruder insert that can be used in the presentinvention;

FIG. 39A-C is a die/extruder insert that can be used in the presentinvention;

FIG. 40A-C is a die/extruder insert that can be used in the presentinvention;

FIG. 41A-C is a die/extruder insert that can be used in the presentinvention;

FIG. 42A-I is a die/extruder insert that can be used in the presentinvention;

FIG. 43A-O are extruder plates that can be used in the presentinvention;

FIG. 44A-L is an extruder plate that can be used in the presentinvention;

FIG. 45A-C is a die/extruder insert that can be used in the presentinvention; and,

FIG. 46A-C is a die/extruder insert that can be used in the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showing is for the purpose ofillustrating preferred embodiments of the invention only and not for thepurpose of limiting the same, FIG. 1 illustrates one non-limitingconfiguration of an extruder system and cutter assembly in accordancewith the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 1 illustrates across-section view of the front end portion of an extruder system andthe cross-section view of a cutter assembly. With reference to theextruder system, there is illustrated a portion of an auger blade 12that is designed to move material, not shown, to be extruded toward anextruder plate 14. The extruder plate 14 is illustrated as having aplurality of die openings 16 that are each designed to receive adie/extruder insert 18. The material that is transported by the augerblade is designed to become an extruded product such as, but not limitedto, a catalyst. As can be appreciated, the present invention can be usedto form many types of products other than catalyst. Although not shown,the opposite end of the auger blade is connected to a motor that isdesigned to rotate the auger blade. The use of such a motor and theconfiguration of the motor and the necessary connection between themotor and auger blade are well known in the art, thus will not befurther described. Also not shown is the feed section for the augerblade that feeds material to the auger blade which in turn transportsthe material to the extruder plate. Many different auger blade feedarrangements can be used, and many of these feed arrangements are wellknown in the art and will not be further described.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the auger blade that is used in the extrudersystem can have many different configurations. Two non-limitingconfigurations for the auger blade are a single flight configuration ora dual flight configuration. Auger blade 12 can have a unique singlecontinuous single flight configuration such as, but not limited to, theauger blades illustrated in FIGS. 19-24. The continuous single flightauger blade 12, when used, can facilitate in reducing pressurevariations as the material moves toward the inner face of the extruderplate and into the one or more die/extruder inserts positioned at leastpartially in the extruder plate. As illustrated in FIGS. 19, 21, 22 and24, the single uninterrupted flight auger blade has a generally uniformcross-sectional shape and size along the longitudinal length of theauger blade. The region between the blades has a generally U-shapedconfiguration as best illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 24; however, it can beappreciated that other configurations can be used. The auger blade has ablade 13 that has an average pitch of about 3-4 inches. The ratio of theaverage maximum diameter T of blade 13 of the single uninterruptedflight auger blade to the average pitch of blade 13 is about 1.3-1.7.The auger blade also has a root thickness R. The ratio of the averagemaximum diameter T of blade 13 to the average root thickness R of theauger blade 12 is about 2.2-2.9. As can be appreciated, other dimensionsof the auger blade can be used. Referring now to FIGS. 20 and 23, thefront end of auger blade includes a connection arrangement 15 that isdesigned to secure a wiper blade to the front end of the auger blade.When a wipe blade is not to be connected to the front end of the augerblade, the connection arrangement can be eliminated. The connectionarrangement can be designed in many different ways to facilitate in theconnection of a wiper blade to the front end of the auger. In onenon-limiting arrangement, the connection arrangement can include acavity 51 and a threaded opening 53 as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 20 and 23that are used to facilitate in the connection of the wiper blade to theauger blade. The auger blade 12 is housed in an auger housing or liner22 that defines a generally cylindrical opening 24 through which thematerial to be extruded travels. As can be appreciated, other housing orliner shapes can be used. The use of an auger housing or liner inconjunction with an auger blade for various types of extruderapplications is well known in the art, thus will not be furtherdescribed.

Extruder plate 14 in FIG. 1 is a generally circular plate having aplurality of insert openings 16 that are formed in the extruder plate.As can be appreciated, the extruder plate need not be circular (e.g.,oval, polygonal, etc.). The insert openings 18 in the extruder plate canhave a variety of configurations and/or shapes. As illustrated in FIGS.43 and 44, the insert openings can have a generally triangular shape ordiamond shape. As can be appreciated other or additional insert shapescan be used (e.g., oval, circular, square, pentagonal, hexagonal,rectangular, rhombus shaped, trapezoidal, etc.). As illustrated in FIGS.43 and 44, the size and shape of the insert openings on each extruderplate is generally the same; however, this is not required. As such, anextruder plate can have different sized openings and/or different shapedopenings on the extruder plate. As illustrated in FIGS. 43 and 44,several configurations of the triangular shape or diamond shape openingsare illustrated on each extruder plate. These few configurations aremerely exemplary, and it can be appreciated that other openingconfiguration and/or other numbers of opening can be used on theextruder plate. The die inserts can also have a variety of interiorconfigurations, not shown, to facilitate in receiving certain shapeddie/extruder inserts. The extruder plates can also include one or moremount holes 17 that are designed to receive a bolt and/or other type ofconnector to facilitate in mounting the extruder plate to the extrudersystem. The mount holes are illustrated by dotted lines to indicate thatsuch mounting holes are optional. The front and/or back face of theextruder plate can have one or more recessed portions; however, this isnot required. Such recessed portions are illustrated by the dottedcircular line 19 in FIGS. 43A-H, 43J, 43L, 43M, 43O, 44A-I, 44K, and44L. The circular line 19 is dotted to indicate that this recess portionis optional. The extruder plates can include one or more orientationstructures 21 that are designed to facilitate in the proper placement ofthe die/extruder insert 18 into die opening 16. As illustrated in FIGS.44A-L, each of the triangular shaped openings 16 include a landingstructure that forms the orientation structure 21 on the extruder plate.The landing structure is a small recess region on the apex on one of thetriangular shaped openings. This landing structure is designed toreceive a tab structure 25 on a die/extruder insert that is similar tothe one illustrated in FIG. 38. This tab structure 25 is the orientationstructure on the die/extruder insert. As can be appreciated, the tabstructure on the die/extruder insert and the landing structure on theextruder plate represents just one of many different types oforientation structures that can be used on the die/extruder insertand/or the extruder plate to facilitate in the proper insertion of thedie/extruder insert into the die opening of the extruder plate. Forexample, many other shaped tabs and/or landing configurations can beused (e.g., polygonal shaped, oval shaped, star shaped, etc.).Furthermore, the die/extruder insert and/or the extruder plate caninclude more than one orientation structure. For example, thedie/extruder insert could include two or three tabs on each of theapexes of the triangular insert and the extruder plate could include twoor more landings in one or more die openings to accommodate theadditional number of tabs on the die/extruder insert. In addition, oneor more tabs could be additionally or alternatively located between theapexes of the die/extruder insert (See for example FIGS. 38K-L) and incorresponding positions on the die openings in the extruder plate. Theorientation structure can also or alternatively take on other oradditional forms such as but not limited to, a) tapered regions on thedie/extruder insert and/or the extruder plate, b) ledges or landingspositioned between the front and back face of the die/extruder insertand/or the extruder plate, c) ribs, grooves, slots, and the like on thedie/extruder insert and/or the extruder plate, and/or any other shapesensitive structure on the die/extruder insert and/or the extruder platethat is designed to facilitate in the proper insertion of thedie/extruder insert into the die opening of the extruder plate. The morethan one orientation structures can also or alternatively include visualmarkings (e.g., code codes, arrows, lines, etc.) on die/extruder insertand/or the extruder plate that is designed to facilitate in the properinsertion of the die/extruder insert into the die opening of theextruder plate.

Referring again to FIGS. 44A-L, the partially circular recess has adepth that is typically about the same thickness of the tab 25 in thedie/extruder insert 18 of FIG. 38 so that when the die/extruder insertis properly inserted into die opening 16, the tab 25 at least partiallyfits into the partially circular recess. As can be appreciated, thedepth of the partially circular recess 21 can be greater than or lessthan the thickness of tab 25. When the die/extruder is not properlyplaced in die opening 16, a) tab 25 does not become at least partiallypositioned in the partially circular recess and/or b) most of thedie/extruder insert does not tit into the die opening. For instance,when the die/extruder insert in attempted to be inserted upside down indie opening 16, the tab does not allow the inserted to pass the upperside of the die opening or the landing of the partially circular recess.As such little, if any, portion of the die/extruder insert can beinserted into the die opening when the die/extruder insert is attemptedto be inserted upside down in the die opening. When the die/extruderinsert is not portioned upside down, but the tab is not properlyoriented with the partially circular recess, the tab contacts the uppersurface of the die opening thereby making it obvious to an operator thatthe insert has not been properly oriented in the die opening.

Although FIGS. 44A-L has been described above for use with adie/extruder insert that includes a tab, it can be appreciated thatdie/extruder inserts that do not include tabs (See FIGS. 35-37) can alsobe used in extruder plate 44A-L that includes partially circularrecesses on the insert openings. Furthermore, it can be appreciated,that although the extruder plate in FIG. 44A-L includes a partiallycircular recess, the extruder plate could be designed to not includesuch partially circular recess so as to only be used with die/extruderinserts that do not include tabs such as, but not limited to,die/extruder inserts illustrated in FIGS. 35-37.

Referring now to FIGS. 43A-O, the extruder plates 14 include variousnon-limiting configures of generally diamond shaped die openings 16.None of the die openings include orientation structures as describedwith reference to FIGS. 44A-L; however, it can be appreciated that oneor more of the extruder plates illustrated in FIGS. 43A-O could includeone or more orientation structures. Indeed, one or more of the extruderplates illustrated in FIGS. 43A-O could include recess openings thatcould receive tabs on a die/extruder insert as illustrated in FIGS.42A-I.

The cavity of the die opening of the extruder plate can have a varietyof configurations as discussed above. For example, the generallytriangular shaped die openings of the extruder plates illustrated inFIGS. 44A-L can be configured to have cavities that can receivedie/extruder inserts such as hut not limited to, die/extruder inserts asillustrated in FIGS. 35C, 35D, 35E, 36C, 36D, 36F, and 38G-J. As can beappreciated, the die opening can have other shaped cavities. Likewise,the generally diamond shaped die openings of the extruder platesillustrated in FIGS. 43A-O can be configured to have cavities that canreceive die/extruder inserts such as but not limited to, die/extruderinserts as illustrated in FIGS. 39B, 39C, 40B, 40C, and 42F-I. As can beappreciated, the die opening can have other shaped cavities.

Referring now to FIGS. 35-42, several triangular shaped and diamondshaped die/extruder inserts 18 are illustrated. These die/extruderinserts each have a plurality of holes 23 through the die/extruderinsert that are designed to enable material to be extruded through thedie/extruder insert. The die/extruder inserts can have a variety of holeconfiguration and/or hole shapes. As depicted in FIGS. 35-42, the holeshave a generally circular shaped; however, this is not required. Thecross-sectional shape of the holes will generally determine the shape ofthe material extruded through the die/extruder insert. Hole shapes suchas, but not limited to, star shaped, cross shaped, oval shaped,polygonal shaped, etc. can also be used. The hole shape on eachdie/extruder insert is generally the same; however, this is notrequired. The number of holes on each die/extruder insert is notlimiting other than by the size and/or material of the die/extruderinsert. As such, a few or many holes can be formed on a die/extruderinsert. The pattern of the holes on the die/extruder insert is also notlimiting. As illustrated in several of the figures, the shape of thedie/extruder insert along its longitudinal length can be generallyconstant (See FIGS. 35, 37, 38G, 38I, 38L, 41, 42F, 42H), or can bevariable (See FIGS. 36, 38H, 38J, 40, 42G, 42I). These die/extruderinserts have variable outer cross-sectional shapes along thelongitudinal length of the die/extruder inserts as illustrated in FIGS.36, 38H, 38J, 40, 42G, 42I includes one or more stepped or ledgeportions 27. As can be appreciated, other or additional structures(e.g., tapered portion, rib, grove, slot, etc.) can be included on thedie/extruder insert to form a die/extruder insert that has a variableouter cross-sectional shapes along the longitudinal length of thedie/extruder insert. The die/extruder inserts can include one or morecavities 29 on the front and/or back face of the die/extruder insert(See FIGS. 37, 41).

Referring now to FIGS. 45 and 46, there is illustrated die/extruderinserts that include one or more structures that inhibit or prevent thedie/extruder insert from falling out a die plate one the insert isinserted into the die plate. Referring to FIG. 45, there is illustrateda triangular shaped die/extruder insert 18. FIG. 46 illustrates adiamond shaped die/extruder insert 18. The shapes of the triangular anddiamond shaped die/extruder inserts can be the same as or different fromthe triangular and diamond shaped die/extruder inserts illustrated inFIGS. 35-42 and as described above. As illustrated in FIGS. 45 and 46,the sides of the die/extruder inserts include a friction tab 31. Thefriction tabs are illustrated as being tapered; however, this is notrequired. As illustrated in FIGS. 45 and 46, when the friction tabs aretapered, the friction tab is thicker nearer to the front face of thedie/extruder insert than compared to the thickness of the friction tablocated nearer to the back end of the die/extruder insert. As such, thetaper on the friction tab, when such taper is used, allow the back endof the die/extruder insert to be easily inserted into the die openings16 in the die plates 14. As the die/extruder insert is continued to beinserted into the die openings, the friction tab begins to engage thesides of the die openings and creates a friction tit for thedie/extruder insert in the die opening. This friction tit inhibits orprevents the die/extruder inserts from falling out of the die openingsof the extruder plate when the extruder plate is turned over and/orwhile it is being inserted or removed from an extruder. As illustratedin FIGS. 45 and 46, two friction tabs have the same width, length andshape are located on each side of the die/extruder insert. These twofriction tabs are evenly oriented along the length of each side of thedie/extruder insert. The friction tabs generally have a length that isequal to or less than the width of the die/extruder insert. Generallythe ratio of the length of the friction tab to the width of thedie/extruder insert is at least about 0.05:1, typically about 0.0.3-1:1,more typically about 0.5-1:1, even more typically about 0.6-1:1. Whenthe die/extruder insert includes both a friction tab 31 and apositioning tab 25 as illustrated in FIGS. 45 and 46, the length of oneor more of the friction tabs is generally greater than the width of thepositioning tab; however, this is not required. It can be appreciatedthat the inserts of FIGS. 45 and 46 can be absent positioning tab 25 andonly include one or more friction tabs 31. It can be appreciated thatmore than two or less than two friction tabs can be located on each sideof the die/extruder insert. It can be appreciated that sides of thedie/extruder inserts can have the same or different number of frictiontabs. If can be appreciated that one or more sides of the die/extruderinserts can be absent friction tabs. It can be appreciated that some orall of the friction tab can be same or different shape. It can beappreciated that some, all or none of the friction tabs can be tapered.It can be appreciated that some or all of the fiction tabs can be thesame length, width and/or shape. It can be appreciated that some or allof the friction tabs can be evenly oriented along the length of one ormore sides of the friction tabs; however, this is not required.

Referring again to FIG. 1, an annular spacer 26 is attached to an end ofthe auger housing 22 and an annular die holder 28 attaches to theannular spacer 26 via fasteners 32. The annular spacer 26 and theannular die holder 28 can house some of the components of the cuttingassembly. As can be appreciated, the annular spaces can be eliminated.These components will be described in more detail below.

A wiper blade 36 attaches to an upstream end face of the auger 12.Non-limiting configurations of the wiper blade are illustrated in FIGS.5, 7, and 25-34. As can be appreciated, a wiper blade need not be used.The wiper blade includes a plurality of blades 38 that facilitate indirecting or encouraging the material to be extruded through theextruder plate and/or die/extruder inserts. The blades 38 of the wiperblade are designed to reduce or eliminate space around the die openings16 as the blades pass at least partially over the die openings. Theaforementioned space can harbor material that can stagnate or accumulatearound the die openings. Blades 38 can also be used to reduce pressurevariations of the material to be extruded as it enters into the dieopenings, as compared to systems that do not employ such a wiper blade.Generally, the wiper blade is portioned relative to the inner face orsurface of the extruder plate such that at least a portion of at leastone blade of the wiper blade is positioned from the plane of the innerface or surface of the one or more openings of the extruder plate adistance of about 0.02-0.5 inch; however, it can be appreciated thatother distances can be used. The blades on the wiper blade have an angleon the front surface of the blades that is used to facilitate in pushingthe material into the one or more openings in the extruder plate. Theangle is selected to facilitate movement of the material into the one ormore openings in the extruder plate without cutting or substantiallycutting the material prior to being moved into the one or more openingsin the extruder plate. The average angle on at least a majority of thefront lace of the blades is about 15-60°. The blades on the wiper bladehave an angle on the back face of the blades that is used to facilitatein movement of the one or more blades of the wiper blade through thematerial as the wiper blade rotates. The surface area of the angledportion on the hack face of the blades is generally less than thesurface area of the angled portion on the front face of the blades. Theangle on at least a portion of the back face of the blades is about15-60°. As can be appreciated, many other wipe blade configurations canbe used.

With reference to FIGS. 5-7, the wiper blade 36 can have a generallyfrustoconical body 40 that is concentric about a rotational axis 42. Adifferent configuration for the body 40 of the wiper blade isillustrated in FIGS. 25-34. The blades 38 extend radially outward frombody 40. With reference to FIG. 8, each wiper blade 38 includes aninclined leading edge 44 and a trailing edge 46, the edges being definedby the direction that the wiper rotates. With reference to FIG. 4, theleading edge 44 is inclined to encourage the movement of material intothe one or more die openings 16 and/or one or more openings 23 in thedie/extruder insert 18. The blades 38 can also include an outer axialedge 48 that contacts or is positioned closely adjacent the front orinner face of the extruder plate 14. The outer axial edge 48, in thedepicted embodiment, is also at least generally parallel to the upstreamface of the front or inner face of the extruder plate 14; however, thisis not required. This configuration reduces the likelihood that amaterial clogging the one or more die openings 16 and/or one or moreopenings 23 in the die/extruder insert 18 because the wiper blades 38remove any hardened material from around the one or more die openings 16and/or one or more openings 23 in the die/extruder insert 18. The shapeof the blades of the wiper blade facilitate in the moving of thematerial to be extruded into the one or more die openings 16 and/or oneor more openings 23 in the die/extruder insert 18 and/or helps to reducepressure variations as the material moves into the one or more dieopenings 16 and/or one or more openings 23 in the die/extruder insert18. Although FIGS. 25-34 only illustrate a two blade wiper blade system,the configuration of these two blades can be used on a wiper arrangementhaving more than two blades. As illustrated in FIGS. 2, 4 and 25-34, thewiper blades are typically spaced at equal distances apart from oneanother; however, this is not required. As best illustrated in FIGS.25-34, the wiper blades included angled faces that facilitate in themovement of the material to be extruded into the one or more dieopenings 16 and/or one or more openings 23 in the die/extruder insert18.

As mentioned above, the wiper blade 36 attaches to the front end of theauger blade 12. With reference back to FIG. 6, the wiper blade 36 caninclude a slightly bowl-shaped upstream surface 52 and a central opening54 beginning in the upstream surface 52 for receiving a fastener 56(FIG. 1); However, this is not required. As alternative configuration isset forth in FIGS. 25-34. In this configuration, the front end of thebody 40 includes a recessed region 51 and a central opening 54. As canbe appreciated, may other configurations can be used. The fastener 56 iscountersunk into the body 40 of the wiper blade 36 so as to sit flushwith the upstream face 52, or recessed from the upstream or front faceof body 40. The wiper blade 36 also include a rear drive block opening58 aligned along the central axis 42; however, this is not required. Thedrive block opening is polygonal in cross section, which in thisembodiment is substantially square; however, it can be appreciated thatmay other shapes can be used. The drive block opening 58 receives adrive block 62 (FIG. 1) that is also received in a corresponding opening57 provided in the auger blade 12. The drive block 62 includes athreaded central opening for receiving the fastener 56, and the augerblade 12 also includes a corresponding threaded opening 53 for receivingthe fastener 56. The fastener 56 connects the wiper blade 36 to theauger blade 12 and the drive block 62 allows for the rotation of thewiper blade 36 as the auger blade 12 rotates. As can be appreciated, thewiper blade can be attached to the auger blade by other arrangements.

With reference back to FIG. 5, a downstream or rear face 64 of the wiperblade 36 can include a plurality of fastener openings 66 that receivefasteners to attach a wiper spacer 68 (FIG. 1) to the wiper for spacingthe wiper from the end face of the auger 12; however, this is notrequired. In the depicted embodiment, the wiper spacer 68 is in the formof an annular ring; however, the wiper spacer can comprise a pluralityof components, such as a plurality of blocks. As can be appreciated,other connection arrangements can be used.

Different sized wiper blades can be used with the improved cuttingassembly. Different sized wiper blades may be desirable where differentextruder plates, die openings and/or die/extruder inserts are used. Itmay be desirable to have a certain shaped wiper blade to be used inconjunction with a certain type of extruder plate and/or certain typesof die/extruder inserts. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the number of blades38 of wiper blade 36 is equal to the number of die openings 16; however,this is not required. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2, each blade38 extends from a peripheral edge of the body of the wiper blade 36 adistance that is nearly, the same as and/or slightly greater that thediameter of each die opening 16; however, this is not required. In onenon-limiting design, the blade is at least 80% as large as thecross-sectional area of the die opening. In another non-limiting design,the blade is at least 100% as large as the cross-sectional area of thedie opening. The blades of the wiper blade can also be arranged so as tobe spaced from or to contact the inner surface or face of the extruderplate. Typically the edge of the blade of the wiper blade that isclosest to the extruder plate is no more than about 0.25 inch from theextruder plate; however, other distances can be used.

Reference will now be made to an alternative embodiment of a wiper asshown in FIGS. 9-12, where like numerals having a primed (′) suffix willrefer to like components of the aforementioned wiper blade. Withreference to FIG. 9, a wiper blade 36′ includes a plurality of blades38′ radially extending from a periphery of a substantially frustoconicalbody 40′. The blades 38′ extend a greater radial distance from theperiphery of the wiper body as compared to the blades shown in theembodiment disclosed in FIGS. 5-8. In this embodiment, the blades 38′extend a distance from the peripheral edge of the body 40′ a distancegreater than the diameter of the die openings 16 shown in FIG. 2. Withreference to FIG. 12, each blade 38′ includes a leading surface 44′ anda trailing surface 46′. Similar to the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 5-8,the leading surface 44′ encourages material into the die openings 16and/or die/extruder inserts (FIG. 1). Each blade 38′ also includes anaxial end surface 48′ that contacts or is positioned closely adjacent tothe die plate 14. With reference to FIG. 10, the wiper blade 36′ alsoincludes a bowl-shaped upstream surface 52′. The wiper blade 36′ alsoincludes a fastener opening 54′ beginning in the upstream face 52′ andthe drive block opening 58′ extending from a rear face 64′. Fasteneropenings 66′ extend into the body from the rear face 64′ to attach awiper spacer, such as wiper spacer 68 in FIG. 1, to the wiper blade 36′.The wiper blade can take many configurations other than those describedabove.

With reference back to FIG. 1, a rotating cutter head 80 having aplurality of cutter blades or knives 82 cuts the extruded material intocut products P. The cut products P can take a number of different shapesdependent upon die 18 used to form the cut product. The length of thecut product is controlled by way of the systems that will be describedbelow.

The cutter head 80 is rotated by a motor 84. The motor 84 receives powerfrom a power source (not shown). An output shaft 86 extends from themotor 84. A shaft coupling 88 connects the output shaft 86 of the motor84 to a drive shaft 92. As more clearly seen in FIG. 13, the cutter head80 includes a central opening 94 for receiving the drive shaft 92;however, other arrangements can be used.

The drive shaft 92 extends through a bearing plate 96 having bearings 98and 102 disposed therein. The drive shaft 92 can also include a forwardthreaded section 104 that nuts 106 can threadingly engage to control thelocation of the cutter head 80 with respect to the die plate 14. Thecutter head 80 can also include radial openings 108 (only one is shownin FIG. 13) for receiving fasteners 112 (FIG. 1) for securing the cutterhead 80 to the drive shaft 92. As can be appreciated, the cutter headcan be connected to the drive shall in other ways.

With reference to FIG. 13, a plurality of cutter blades or knives 82 areconnected to and radially extend from a rear or upstream face 120 of thecutter head 80. With reference to FIG. 14, each cutter knife 82 includesa lower body portion 122 and a blade 124 extending from the lower bodyportion. The lower body portion 122 is received in appropriately shapedrecesses 126, which in the depicted embodiment are rectangular, formedin the body of the cutter head 80 at the upstream face 120. Each lowerbody portion 122 also includes fastener openings 128 that receivefasteners 132 (FIG. 1) to attach each cutter knife 82 to the cutter head80. As is apparent, once a blade 124 dulls, the cutter knife 82 can bereplaced from the cutter head 80 by removing the fasteners 132 (FIG. 1)that attach the cutter knife 82 to the cutter head 80. As can beappreciated, the cutter knifes can be connected to the cutter head byother arrangements. In an alternative embodiment, the cutter head 80 andthe cutter knifes 82 can be formed as an integral unit.

With reference to FIG. 18, the blade 124 includes a sharpened or primarycutting edge 134 that lies in generally the same plane as the rear orupstream face 120 of the cutter head 80, or slightly in front of theupstream face of the cutter head. The primary cutting edge is used asthe principal cutting surface of the blade. The slope angle of theprimary cutting edge is used to effectively cut the extruded product.Typically the slope of the primary cutting edge is about 25-35°. Theblade also can include a rake surface next to the primary cutting edge,not shown, that has a rake angle; however, this is not required. Therake surface is positioned on the same side of the one or more cuttingblades as the primary cutting surface. Typically, the primary cuttingedge transitions into the rake surface; however, this is not required.The rake angle is typically less than the slope angle of the primarycutting surface. The rake angle is used in part to create a trajectoryof the material after it has been cut by the primary edge. Thistrajectory of the material is used to move the material off of thecutting blade and/or to throw the cut material to a desired location.Typically the rake angle is about 15-25°. The blade can also include aclearance surface that has a clearance angle; however, this is notrequired. The clearance surface is positioned on the opposite side ofthe one or more cutting blades as the primary cutting edge, and the rakesurface when used. The clearance surface is designed to facilitate inenable the cutting blade to clear the continuously extruded product.Once the primary cutting edge has cut a portion of the extruded product,more extruded product moves out from the die plate openings. This frontend of the extruded material can cause interference with the blade, andthereby cause improper rotation speeds of the rotating cutter head 80.The clearance angle on the blade is selected so as to enable the backside of the blade to easily move past the front end of the extrudedproduct and thereby facilitate in the proper operation of the rotatingcutter head and proper and consistent rotation speeds of the rotatingcutter head. Typically the slope angle of the clearance surface is about8-15°.

With reference to FIG. 4, the blade 124 is positioned closely adjacentan outlet end or front face of the extruder plate and/or die/extruderinsert so as to cut the product P to the desired length. Typically theprimary cutting edge is less than about 0.5 inch from the face of thedie plate; however, other distances can be used. The rate at whichmaterial to be extruded enters and/or passes through the extruder plateand/or die/extruder insert and the rotational velocity of the cutterhead 80 controls the length of product P.

When the pressure on the extruded material increases on the innersurface or region of the extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert, thematerial tends to travel at a faster rate through the extruder plateand/or die/extruder insert. Conversely, when the pressure by thematerial on the inner surface or region of the extruder plate and/ordie/extruder insert reduces, the extruded material passes at a slowerrate through the extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert. By detectingthe pressure of the material as it enters into one or more openings inthe extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert, it can be determinedwhether the material is accelerating, decelerating, or maintaining aconstant velocity through the extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, pressure transducers 150 are inserted intoradial openings 152 in the spacer 26 to detect the pressure of thematerial as it enters into one or more openings in the extruder plateand/or die/extruder insert. As can be appreciated, other or additionaltypes of detectors can be used (e.g., temperature detectors, vibrationdetectors, chemical analysis detectors, etc.). With reference to FIG. 2,a plurality of pressure transducers 150 can be supplied into the radialopenings 152; however, this is not required. Plugs 154 can be insertedinto radial openings 152 where no pressure measurements are being made.The pressure transducers 150 can communicate with a controller 156,which communicates with the motor 84 and/or auger motor 158. If it isdetected that the pressure has decreased, the speed at which the motor84 rotates the cutter head 80 can be accordingly decreased. If it isfound that the pressure of the material has increased, the speed atwhich the motor 84 rotates the cutter head 80 can be accordinglyincreased. Furthermore, if it is found that the pressure is constant,the speed at which the motor 84 rotates the cutter head 80 can bemaintained constant. As a result, the control of the cutter head 80 canbe controlled as a function of the pressure detected upstream of thedies 18 through the controller 156. It may be desirable to also controlthe rate at which the auger blade 12 rotates as a function of thepressure. This can be accomplished by allowing the controller 156 tocommunicate with a motor 158 that drives the auger blade 12. It also maydesirable to control the rate at which the cutter head 80 rotates as afunction of the rate at which the auger blade 12 rotates. This can alsobe accomplished by the controller 156. As can be appreciated, the rateat which the auger blade and/or cutter head rotates can be at leastpartially controlled by other or additional factors (e.g., currentweather conditions, time of day, time of year, geographic location, typeof extruder, extruder configuration, type of feeder for extruder,extruder plate temperature, auger blade temperature, material to beextruded temperature, material to be extruded flow rate, material to beextruded composition, material to be extruded density, time periodrequired for material to move through one or more openings in extruderplate and/or die/extruder insert, time period required for material tomove along auger blade at a certain auger blade rotation speed, augerblade rotation speed, blade cutter arrangement speed, extruder plateand/or die/extruder insert opening plug detection, product qualitydetection, extruder plate pressure detection, pressure in one or moreopenings of extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert, temperature inone or more openings of extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert, timeof use for die/extruder inserts, time of use for extruder plate, time ofuse for die pins, time of use for auger blade, time of use for liner,type of liner, material of liner, shape of liner, extruder plate size,extruder plate opening configuration, extruder plate opening size,material of the extruder plate, thickness of the extruder plate,die/extruder insert size, die/extruder insert shape, die/extruder insertthickness, die/extruder insert material, die/extruder insert holeprofile, type of insert pins, shape of insert pins, material of insertpins, type of auger blade, material of auger blade, size/shape of augerblade, type of feed material, type of cutting blades, number of cuttingblades, cutting blade material, number of blades on wiper blade, type ofwiper blade, spacing of wiper blade from extruder plate and/ordie/extruder insert, wiper blade material, calculated and/or detectedwear rates and/or information of one or more components of the extruderand/or cutting assembly, etc.).

The rotational speed of the output shaft 86 of the motor 84 can bedetermined using a sensor 160 such as, but not limited to, a digitalencoder available from US Digital Corporation. The sensor 160communicates with the controller 156 which communicates with the motor84. Accordingly, rotational speed of the output shaft 86, which isconnected to the drive shaft 92, can be controlled. A PWC controller canbe used to accurately control the rotational speed of the cutter head.As can be appreciated, other types of motor controllers can be used.

A sensor 170 can also be supplied to check the length of the product P.For example, the sensor can be in the form of a camera, or the like,that can detect the dimensions of the cut product P. The sensor 170 canbe designed to communicate with the controller 156. The sensor 170 cansend a signal to the controller 156 in response to the detecteddimensions of the cut product P. Based at least partially on thedetected dimensions of the cut product, the rotational speed of thecutter head 80 can be adjusted.

In addition to controlling the rate at which material is extrudedthrough the extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert and the rotationalspeed of the cutter head 80, various other features can also beincorporated into the cutting assembly. A switch 180 can be provided tocommunicate with the controller 156. When replacing the extruder plateand/or die/extruder insert, the cutter knives 82, etc., the assembly istypically disassembled. The die holder 28 and the bearing plate 96attach to a trolley plate 182. The trolley plate 182 connects to atrolley assembly for moving the cutting assembly. As seen in FIG. 2, aplurality of fasteners 184 connect the die holder 28 to the trolleyplate 182. As seen in FIG. 3, a plurality of fasteners 186 also attachthe bearing plate 96 to the trolley plate 182. As can be appreciated,other or additional configurations can be used.

In the depicted embodiment, the switch 180 includes a button 190 thatcontacts a dowel 192 disposed in a dowel opening 194 formed in the dieholder 28. The dowel opening 194 runs parallel to the central axis ofthe die holder 28, which is aligned with the drive shaft 92. Withreference to FIG. 2, a radial bore 196 extends from a periphery of thedie holder 28 into the dowel opening 194. The radial opening 196receives a fastener 198 which can be received in a notch 202 formed inthe dowel 192.

Removal of the die holder 28 results in the button 190 extending outwardfrom the switch 180, which sends a signal to the controller 156 to cutpower to the motor 84. The positioning of the button 190 can be adjustedby adjusting the dowel 192 by loosening the fastener 198 in the notch202 and adjusting the dowel accordingly. As can be appreciated, otherarrangements can be used to deactivate the motor 84.

Another sensor 210 can be added to the fastener 32 that connects the dieholder 28 to the spacer 26 and the auger housing 22. This sensor isgenerally a pressure and/or contact sensor. As can be appreciated, otheror additional types of detectors can be used (e.g., temperaturedetectors, vibration detectors, etc.). The sensor 210 can be a loadcell-type sensor that is trapped between the die holder 28 and a nut212. As can be appreciated, other or additional types of detectors canbe used (e.g., pressure sensors, temperature detectors, vibrationdetectors, etc.). The sensor 210 can detect threes from the die holder28 and send a signal to the controller 156 to control power delivery themotor 84. As can be appreciated, other or additional arrangements can beused to activate and deactivate the motor and/or other components of thecontrol system.

The cutting assembly can also include a mode control 220. The modecontrol 220 can be in communication with the controller 156. One modecan be a manual mode wherein the speed of the cutter head 80 is set andmaintained at a substantially constant speed throughout an extrusionprocess. The improved cutting assembly can also include an automaticmode wherein the speed of the cutter head 80 is adjusted based upon thedetection of one or more parameters (e.g., pressure of the materialprior to and/or as it is being extruded through the extruder plateand/or die/extruder insert; the detected velocity of the material priorto, during, and/or after being extruded through the extruder plateand/or die/extruder insert; detection of the length of the cut materialand/or calculating the length of the cut material; current weatherconditions; type of extruder; extruder configuration; type of feeder forextruder; extruder plate temperature; die/extruder insert temperature;auger blade temperature; material to be extruded temperature; materialto be extruded flow rate; material to be extruded composition; materialto be extruded density; time period required for material to movethrough one or more openings in extruder plate and/or die/extruderinsert; time period required for material to move along auger blade at acertain auger blade rotation speed; auger blade rotation speed; bladecutter speed; extruder plate and/or die/extruder insert opening plugdetection; product quality detection; type of liner; material of liner;shape of liner; extruder plate size; extruder plate openingconfiguration; extruder plate opening size; material of the extruderplate; thickness of the extruder plate; die/extruder insert size;die/extruder insert shape; die/extruder insert thickness; die/extruderinsert material; die/extruder insert hole profile; type of auger blade;material of auger blade; size/shape of auger blade; type of cuttingblades; number of cutting blades; cutting blade material; number ofblades on wiper blade; type of wiper blade; spacing of wiper blade fromextruder plate and/or die/extruder insert; wiper blade material;vibration detection of one or more components of the extruder;cavitation detection of material to be extruded; detection of amount ofmaterial being fed by auger blade; calculated and/or detected wear ratesand/or information of one or more components of the extruder and/orcutting assembly, etc.). The improved cutting assembly can include oneor more measured and/or adjustable parameters to adjust the length ofthe extruded material being cut so as to obtain a desired length of thecut material, calibrate one or more detectors (e.g., pressure detector,temperature detector, rotation speed detector, etc.) so that the speedcontrol for the cutter head 80 is properly adjusted based uponinformation from one or more detectors, adjust the delay so as to delaythe adjustment of the speed of the cutter head 80 to account for thetime period in which the material travels into and through an extruderplate and/or die/extruder insert, etc.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those madeapparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained, andsince certain changes may be made in the constructions set forth withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention, it is intendedthat all matter contained in the above description and shown in theaccompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense. The invention has been described with reference topreferred and alternate embodiments. Modifications and alterations willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading andunderstanding the detailed discussion of the invention provided herein.This invention is intended to include all such modifications andalterations insofar as they come within the scope of the presentinvention. It is also to be understood that the following claims areintended to cover all of the generic and specific features of theinvention herein described and all statements of the scope of theinvention, which, as a matter of language, might be said to falltherebetween. The invention has been described with reference to thepreferred embodiments. These and other modifications of the preferredembodiments as well as other embodiments of the invention will beobvious from the disclosure herein, whereby the foregoing descriptivematter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention andnot as a limitation. It is intended to include all such modificationsand alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A cutting assembly for cutting a material extrudedfrom an extruder plate, the assembly comprising: a) an extruder platethat includes an inner face and a front face and including a pluralityof die openings, a plurality of said die openings having a polygonalcross-sectional shape; b) a plurality of die/extruder inserts, a singledie/extruder insert positioned in each of said die openings, saiddie/extruder insert having a body that includes a front face, a backface, a side and a plurality of continuous openings from said front faceto said back face, a plurality of said die/extruder inserts having apolygonal cross-sectional shape; and, c) a feed arrangement designed tofeed said material toward said inner face of said extruder plate tocause said material to at least partially pass through said continuousopening while said die/extruder insert is positioned in said die openingof said die plate.
 22. The cutting assembly as defined in claim 21,wherein at least one of said die/extruder inserts includes one or morestructures selected from the group consisting of i) a positioning tabpositioned at or closely adjacent to said front face and extendingoutwardly from said side, said positioning tab designed to properlyorient said die/extruder insert when said die/extruder insert ispositioned in said die opening of said die plate and ii) a friction tabpositioned on said side and extending outwardly from said side of saiddie/extruder insert, said friction tab designed to maintain saiddie/extruder insert in said die opening of said extruder plate.
 23. Thecutting assembly as defined in claim 22, wherein at least one of saiddie/extruder inserts includes said positioning tab.
 24. The cuttingassembly as defined in claim 22, wherein at least one of saiddie/extruder inserts includes said friction tab.
 25. The cuttingassembly as defined in claim 23, wherein at least one of saiddie/extruder inserts includes said friction tab.
 26. The cuttingassembly as defined in claim 24, wherein said friction tab is at leastpartially tapered.
 27. The cutting assembly as defined in claim 24,wherein at least one of said die openings of said die plate includes aplate orientation structure designed to at least partially receive saidpositioning tab on said die/extruder insert when said die/extruderinsert is positioned in said die opening.
 28. The cutting assembly asdefined in claim 25, wherein at least one of said die openings of saiddie plate includes a plate orientation structure designed to at leastpartially receive said positioning tab on said die/extruder insert whensaid die/extruder insert is positioned in said die opening.
 29. Thecutting assembly as defined in claim 21, wherein said feed arrangementincludes an auger.
 30. The cutting assembly as defined in claim 21,including a wiper blade designed to be connected to an auger or arotating member, said wiper blade designed to be disposed adjacent saidextruder plate, said wiper including at least one radially disposedblade, said blade designed to direct material into said die/extruderinsert located in said die opening of said die plate.
 31. An extrudersystem comprising of extruder plate and a plurality of die/extruderinserts, said extruder plate including a front face, a back face and aplurality of die openings that pass through the extruder plate, each ofsaid die openings designed to telescopically receive at least a majorityof one of said die/extruder inserts, a plurality of said die openingshaving a polygonal cross-sectional shape, each of said die/extruderinserts including a body having a front face, a back face, a side and aplurality of holes that pass through said body, said plurality of holesdesigned to allow material to be extruded through said body, said bodyhaving a configuration designed to be at least partially telescopicallyinserted into one of said die openings of said extruder plate, aplurality of said die/extruder inserts having a polygonalcross-sectional shape.
 32. The extruder system as defined in claim 31,wherein at least one of said die extruder inserts includes one or morestructures selected from the group consisting of i) a positioning tabpositioned at or closely adjacent to said front face and extendingoutwardly from said side, said positioning tab designed to properlyorient said die/extruder insert when said die/extruder insert ispositioned in said die opening of said die plate and ii) a friction tabpositioned on said side and extending outwardly from said side of saiddie/extruder insert, said friction tab designed to maintain saiddie/extruder insert in said die opening of said extruder plate.
 33. Theextruder system as defined in claim 32, wherein at least one of saiddie/extruder inserts includes said positioning tab.
 34. The extrudersystem as defined in claim 32, wherein at least one of said die/extruderinserts includes said friction tab.
 35. The extruder system as definedin claim 33, wherein at least one of said die/extruder inserts includessaid friction tab.
 36. The extruder system as defined in claim 34,wherein said friction tab is at least partially tapered.
 37. Theextruder system as defined in claim 33, wherein at least one of said dieopenings of said die plate including a plate orientation structuredesigned to at least partially receive said positioning tab when saiddie/extruder insert is positioned in said die opening.
 38. The extrudersystem as defined in claim 37, wherein said plate orientation structureonly partially traverses said die plate.
 39. An extruder systemcomprising of a die/extruder insert designed to be inserted into a dieopening in an extruder plate, said die/extruder insert including a bodyhaving a front face, a back face, a side and a plurality of holes thatpass through said body along a longitudinal axis of said die/extruderinsert, said plurality of holes designed to allow material to beextruded through said body, said body having a configuration designed tobe at least partially telescopically inserted into the die opening of anextruder plate, said body at least partially having a polygonalcross-sectional shape.
 40. An extruder system comprising of an extruderplate that includes at least one die opening, said die opening isdesigned to receive at least one die/extruder insert, at least one ofsaid die openings having a polygonal cross-sectional shape.